Case.



E. W. SCHIMPER.

CASE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30' I915- Patented June 20; 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- ATTORNEYS E. W. SCHHVIPER.

CASE. I

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30, HHS,-

Patented June 20, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 INVENTOR WITNESSES ATTORNEYS 'rl-IB COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH (10., WASHINGTON, n. c.

EDMUND W. SCI-ITMPER, OF IRVING'IQN, NEW JERSEY.

CASE.

Application filed June 30, 1915.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDMUND W. Sonrnrnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at lrvington, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cases; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The present invention has reference, genorally, to improvements in that class of containers which are adapted for the purpose of carrying therein cigarettes and similar small articles; and the invention relates, more particularly, to a novel construction of container which may be made up either as a pocket-case of durable and permanent form, or as a boX in which cigarettes or other desirable articles may be inclosed for commercial distribution; in the first case the container would be made of metal or other suitable durable material, and in the second case the container would be made of cardboard or some such material.

The invention has for its principal ob ject to provide a neat and simply constructed pocket-case or box in which a movable tray is inclosed in a main casing and so secured therein as to automatically position or lift itself out of the case or boX, when the latter is opened, so that the ends of the cigarettes, or other articles, are freely and unobstructedlv presented so that the same are readily and singly presented to the fingers for removal from the case or box.

The invention has for a further object to provide, in connection with said movable tray above mentioned, means whereby the ends of one layer or group of cigarettes, or other articles, are projected beyond another layer or group so that a single cigarette, or other article, may be readily grasped by the fingers for removal.

Other objects of the present invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated, will be clearly understood from the following detailed description of the same.

With the various objects of the present invention in view, the same consists, primarily, in the novel pocket-case or box hereinafter set forth; and the invention con- Specification of Letters Patent.

plan'view of the same Serial No. 37,145.

sists, furthermore, in the various novel arrangements and combinations of the several parts, and the details of the construction of the same, all of which will be hereinafter more fully described in the following specification, and then finally embodied in the claims appended thereto.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan View of the novel container constructed in the form of a pocket case, and made according to and embodying the principles of the present invention, the same being shown closed; Fig. 2 is a side edge view of the same closed; Fig. 3 is a opened; Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same closed; Fig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same opened; Fig. 6 is a transverse section of the same closed, said view being taken on line 6-6 in said Fig. l, looking in the direction of the arrow w, and Fig. 7 is a detail longitudinal section, on a larger scale, of a portion of the main oasing and the tray, showing the hinge connection between the same, the operating spring for the tray being removed. Fig. 8 is a longitudinal vertical section of the novel container made in the form of a paper or cardboard box as adapted toserve as an original package in which cigarettes, and other similar articles, may be vended, the construction of the same embodying the novel features and principles of the present invention.

Similar characters of reference are employed in all of the above described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring now to the several figures of the said drawings, the reference character 1 indicates a complete pocket-case which is made according to and which embodies the principles of the present invention, and the same comprises a main body or shell 2, preferably made of metal, or other similarly strong and durable material. Connected with said main body or shell 2, by a suitable hinge connection 3, is a cover-section 4, which is adapted to close over the open side of said main body or marginal edges of the open side of said main body or shell 2 may be provided with an inlay-strip or building 5, which projects slightly above the marginal edges of said open side of said main body or shell 2, and which serves to maintain the marginal edges Patented June 2i)", rare.

shell 2. If desired the of said cover-section 4L properly registered with ;the edges of said open side of said "main body or shell 2, when the former is closed over the latter. The end of said main body or shell 2, opposite to the hinge connection 3, may be provided with any suitable form or construction of snap-catch or latch means 6, which serves to engage said cover-section f when closed, and thus maintains the latter in closing relation to said main body or shell 2.

' The reference character 7 indicates a 1novabletray-memberadapted to'be arranged to normally lie within the interior 8 of said .body or shell2 will now be described; Sefcured to saidtray-member 7, by means of soldeiyer by any suitable mechanical fasten ing means, is the leaf 12 of a hinge member, the'knuckles 13 of which are so disposed and main body or shell 2. Said tray-member 7 is provided with side walls 9, and its rearward end is closed by means of an upwardly The novel manner of and means for associating said tray-member 7 with the main arrangedas to. lie close to the junction of said rearwardly inclined end-wall 10 with said tray-member 7. The opposite leaf l-l ofsaid hinge-member is secured to the bottom of said main body or shell 2 within the same, by means'of solder or any suitable mechanical fastening means, in such a manner that the knuckles 15 thereof are disposed at the forward edge of said leaf 14. The said knuckles 15 are then dovetailed or alined with the knuckles 13 and a suitable hinge pintle 16 passed therethrough, thus pivotally securing the rear end of said tray to the interior side of the bottom of said main body or shell 2, so that normally said tray-member 7 will lie nested within the interior8 of saidmain body or shell 2. The said hinge member is so constructed that an intermediate space 17 is provided between the pairs of dovetailed or alined knuckles 13 and 15, said hinge pintle 16 extending through said space 17. Coiled about said hinge pintle 16, where the same extends through said space 17 is a coiled lift-spring 18, one arm 19 of which extends'forwardly and presses downwardly upon the bottom of said main body or shell 2, and the other arm 20 of which extends forwardly and presses upwardly upon the bottom or under side of said trayunember 7. The tension of said lift-spring 18, when permitted to be exerc'ised, tends to lift upward said traymember 7, and thus swing up its forward end on'its pivoted or rearward end. i This opera- 'tion takes place automatically when the coversection l of the main body or shell 2 is swung open, and results in the rising out of the interior 8 of said main body or shell 2 of the forward end of said tray-member 7 so that the ends of the articles contained in said tray-member 7, and projecting from the open forward end of the same are readily and freely presented unobstructedly so as to be easily accessible by the fingers for withdrai all or removal from said tray-member. In this connection it must be noted [that said rearwardly and upwardly inclined end-wall 10 of said tray-member 7 serves as a stop when carried or swung dowmvardly into contact with the bottom of said main body or shell 2, thus limiting the upward swinging movement of said outer or forward end of said tray-member 7, and assuring the proper degree of upward tilt or inclination of the same, which upward tilt or inclination should preferably be approximately fortyfive degreesor less. It will thus be noted that said upwardly and rearwardly inclined wall 10 of said tray-member 7 serves two important functions, namely, first as a stop as just described, and second as a means of distributing the layers or groups of cigarettes or other articles contained in said tray-member so that the ends of the bottom row, layer or group project beyond the ends of the next above row, layer or group of the same, so that the cigarettes or other articles are thus conveniently presented to the fingers for separate removal from the said tray-member 7 when the pocket-case is opened, and the tray-member 7 automatically uptilted as above described. The per formance of these important functions is clearly illustrated, more particularly, in Figs. 3 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 8 ofthe drawings, I have illustrated a construction of my present invention adapted to provide acheap original container or box in which cigarettes or similar articles may be commercially distributed, this construction still embodying, however, all of the essential and novel principles of my present invention. In this construction the reference character 21 indicates the bodysection of a paper or cardboard box to which is hinged, in the ordinary manner, the cover-section 22. Arranged within the interior 23 of said body-section 21 is a traymember '24. Said tray-member 24 is provided with side walls 25, and its rearward end is closed by means of an upwardly and rearwardly inclined end-wall 26, its opporearward end of said tray-member 24 is pivotally connected with the bottom of the interior of said body-section 21, by a suit able hinge connection, such as a strip of flexible cloth or other material 28, one leaf 29 of which is glued to the interior bottom of said body-section 1 and the other leaf 30 of which is glued to the bottom or under side of said tray-member 24, as shown. The reference character 31 indicates a flexible pull-strip or cord, which can also be made of cloth, or any other suitable flexible and strong material. One end of said pull-strip or cord 31 is glued, or otherwise fastened, to a side of said cover-section 22. while the opposite end of the same is glued or otherwise fastened, to aside wall 25 or other suitable part of said tray-member 24. It will be apparent that when the cover section 22 is closed the tray-member 24 will lie nested within the interior 28 of said bodysection 21, but when the cover-section 22 is opened, as the same swings back it will exert a pull upon said pull-strip or cord 31 which will be transmitted to said traymember 24, whereby the latter will be pulled or tilted upward and out of said body-see tion as it pivots on its hinge connection. The rearwardly and upwardly inclined endwall 26 in the present construction serves both of the functions already mentioned in connection with the first described construction of pocket-case, namely. it serves as a stop to limit the upward tilted disposition of the tray-member as well as a means for conveniently disposing the cigarettes or other articles, contained by the tray-memher. The chief difference in the present construction is that the tray is connected with the cover so that the opening motion of the latter will operate the former, insead of the former being automatically operated by spring actuation.

The novelty and convenience of the device embodying my present invention will be clearly understood from the above description, and it will readily be seen that the principles of its construction render the same available either in the permanent form of a durable pocket-case, or in the less permanent form of a distributing box or commercial package.

I am aware that some changes may be made in the general arrangements and combinations of the various parts, as well as in the details of the construction of the same, without departing from the scope of the present invention as fully described in the foregoing specification, and as defined in the claims appended hereto. Hence, I do not limit my invention to the exact arrangements and combinations of the said parts as described in the foregoing specification, nor do I limit the same to the exact details shown in the accompanying drawings.

a movable tray-member pivoted to the into-3 rior bottom portion of said body-section in which the cigarettes or other articles are carried, means for uptilting said tray-memher out of said body-section when said cover-section is opened, and a rearwardlyand upwardly inclined end-wall connected with the pivoted end of said tray-member for the purposes set forth.

2. A pocket-case or box for cigarettes or other articles comprising a bodysection, a cover-section hinged to said body-section, a tray-member pivoted by its rearward end to said body-secti .=n so as to normally lie nested therein, said tray-member having an upwardly and rearwardly inclined end-wall at its rearward pivoted end serving both as stop and as means for positioning articles in said tray-member, said tray-member having longitudinal side-walls, said tray-member being open at its forward free end, and means for uptilting said tray-member on its pivoted end to raise its forward end out of said body-section when said cover-section is opened.

3. A pocket-case or box for cigarettes or other articles comprising a body-section, a cover-section hinged to said body-section, a tray-member pivoted by its rearward end to said bodv-section so as to normally lie nested therein, said tray-member having an upwardly and rearwardly inclined end-wall at its rearward pivoted end serving both as stop and as means for positioning articles in said tray-member, said tray-member having longitudinal side-walls, said tray-member being open at its forward free end, and spring means for automatically uptilting said tray-member on its pivoted end to raise its forward end out of said body-section when said cover-section is opened.

4. A pocket-case or box for cigarettes or other articles comprising a body-section, a cover-section hinged to said body-section, a tray-member pivoted by its rearward end to. said body-section so as to normally lie nested therein, said tray-member having an upwardly and rearwardly inclined end-wall at its rear-ward pivoted end serving both as stop and as means for positioning articles in said tray-member, said tray-member having longitudinal side-walls, said tray-member being open at its forward free end. spring means for automatically uptilting said traymember on its pivoted end to raise its forward end out of said body-section when said cover-section is opened, and a catch or latch means connected with said body-section and said cover-section for securing the latter in closed relation to the former.

5. A pocket-case or box for cigarettes or mans-w y -.-1,1s7,ee1

other articles comprisingfa body section, a cover-section lunged to said body-section, a

tray-member adapted to normally lie fiat a top-wall partly covering said tray-member, a hinge-member located at the junction ofsaid' end-wall with the bottom of said tray-member, onefleaf of said hinge-member 7 being secured to the bottoniof said traymember-and the other leaf of said hingemember being secured to the-bottom of said body-section, and aspring means cooperating with said body-section and said traymember for automatically uptilting said traymember on its hinge-member to raise its forward end out of said body-section when said cover-section is opened, said upwardly and rearwardlv inclined end-wall of,

said tray-member serving as a stop by engagement with the'bottom of said body-section to limit the upward tilting movement ofsaid tray-member. 1

6. A pocket-case or box for cigarettes or other articles' comprising a body-section, a cover-section hinged to said body-section, a tray-member adapted to normally lie flat and nested in said body-section, said traymember having an upwardly and rear- "wardly inclined end-Wall at, one end, said tray-member being open at vits outer end,

vsidewalls connected with said tray-member,

a top-wall partly covering said tray-member, a hinge-member located at the junction of said end-wall withthe bottom of said vtray-member, one leaf of said hinge-member being secured to the bottom of said traymcmber and the otherleaf of said hingemember being secured to the bottom of said body-section, a spring means cooperating with said body-section and said tray-member for automatically uptilting said traymember on its hinge-men'lber to raise its forward end out of said body-section when said cover-section is opened, said upwardly and rearwardly inclined end-Wall of said traymember serving as a stop by engagement with the bottom of said body-section to limit the upward tilting movement of said traymember, and a catch or latch means connected with said body-section and said cover-section for securing the latter in closed relation to the former.

In testimonyythat I claim the invention set forth above I have hereunto set my hand this 28th day of June, 1915.

EDMUND W. SCHIMPER.

copies oi this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

7 Washington, D. C. 

